VALDOSTA —
The people have spoken and have cast their votes - John Gayle will serve as the next mayor for the City of Valdosta.
“I’m so relaxed right now, because this thing has been building up to this and I’ve been nervous about it because I’ve done everything I could to get elected and been out and met as many people as I can and you just can’t imagine what relief it is not to be in a run-off,” said Gayle. “I really thought that after tonight I would probably be in a run-off. It’s surprising how elections go sometimes.”
“I appreciate everybody that came out - I’ve got a lot of support,” said Gayle.
He also said he was surprised at how heavily the consolidation effort was defeated.
Gayle led in the polls immediately and maintained a significant lead throughout the night. All said, Gayle garnered 57.3 percent of the vote, or 5,283 total votes.
Political newcomer Brooks D. Bivins made an impressive debut with 26.17 percent of the vote, beating Gary Minchew who received 15.72 percent of the vote.
Bivins said he appreciated all the support that he received from citizens and that he would continue to learn more about the local political system and offer solutions to problems as a citizen instead of an elected official.
Minchew said he would continue to work to create job opportunities for citizens. He said it was a good, clean election and that he would continue to be friends with Gayle. He also added that he felt his late announcement hurt his campaign.
Incumbent At-Large council member Ben Norton handily defeated Matt Flumerfelt, taking 76.56 percent of the total vote.
“I appreciate all the voters that came out and voted to give me an opportunity to serve a full-term as city councilman,” said Norton. “I hope this is a good indication that they approve of the job that I’ve done so far. I’ve learned a lot in this year and look forward to learning more in order to help Valdosta be the best city in Georgia.”
“I do commit to being a man of integrity as city councilman and to be committed to the citizens of Valdosta and do what’s good for the citizens of Valdosta over the next four years,” said Norton.
Flumerfelt said, “I feel like I ran a good race. I hope I encouraged others to run when they have a chance, regardless whether they have any political experience. Valdostans still need to work together to bring about the kinds of positive change we talked about during the campaign. I plan to keep advocating for those at the lower end of the socio-economic ladder. I appreciate all those who donated to my campaign, voted for me, or just wished me well.”
Write-in candidate Ben Futch won the mayoral race in Lake Park against incumbent Walter Keith Sandlin with 54.85 percent or 113 total votes.
Lowndes County Board of Elections Supervisor of Elections Deb Cox said this was the first time she has seen a write-in candidate win the election since she started working at the Board of Elections.
Numerous attempts were made to contact Futch, but were unsuccessful.
“I guess the people wanted a change,” said Sandlin. “I put up a fair campaign, but Mr. Futch worked harder than I did. He beat the bushes and met with people door to door. He ran a good campaign. He deserves it and I wish him the best of luck.”
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